Motion simulating device

ABSTRACT

A motion simulating device includes a positioning unit, at least one carrier unit adapted for carrying at least one user, at least one motion mechanism, and a display unit for displaying image information for viewing by the at least one user. The at least one motion mechanism includes a motion arm, a first driver, and a second driver. The motion arm has a first end portion connected to the positioning unit and pivotable relative to the positioning unit about a first axis, and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion. The at least one carrier unit is connected to the second end portion of the motion arm and pivotable relative to the motion arm about a second axis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Invention PatentApplication No. 107115177, filed on May 4, 2018.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a motion simulating device, more particularlyto a motion simulating device with simplified motion mechanism.

BACKGROUND

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional motion simulating device 1may be used in amusement rides. The conventional motion simulatingdevice 1 includes a loading platform 11, a plurality of motionmechanisms 12 disposed on said loading platform 11 (only one shown inFIG. 1), a plurality of seats 13 respectively disposed on said motionmechanisms 12, and a display 14 disposed in front of said seats 13. Eachof the motion mechanisms 12 include a plurality of linear actuators 121to drive the respective seat 12 to sway, surge, heave, pitch, yaw androll. The conventional motion simulating device 1 plays video throughthe display 14, and cooperates the movement of the seats 13 driven bythe motion mechanisms 12 with the video to provide an immersivesimulation experience.

Even though the motion mechanisms 12 can drive the seats 13 to performmulti-axial movement with high degrees of freedom, the linear actuators121 are unable to perform larger range motions. Moreover, the structureand control of the motion mechanisms 12 are complicated, which increasethe costs of manufacture and maintenance.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a motionsimulating device that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks ofthe prior art.

According to the disclosure, a motion simulating device includes apositioning unit, at least one carrier unit connected to the positioningunit and adapted for carrying at least one user, at least one motionmechanism, and a display unit for displaying image information forviewing by the at least one user.

The at least one motion mechanism includes a motion arm, a first driver,and a second driver.

The motion arm has a first end portion connected to the positioning unitand pivotable relative to the positioning unit about a first axis, and asecond end portion opposite to the first end portion. The at least onecarrier unit is connected to the second end portion of the motion armand is pivotable relative to the motion arm about a second axis.

The first driver is disposed for driving the pivot action of the motionarm about the first axis relative to the positioning unit.

The second driver is disposed for driving the pivot action of the atleast one carrier unit about the second axis relative to the motion arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent inthe following detailed description of the embodiment with reference tothe accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a conventional motion simulatingdevice;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top schematic view of the conventional motionsimulating device;

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of a motion simulating deviceaccording to the disclosure, where a side wall and a plurality ofsupport arms are not shown;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a motion mechanism and a carrier unit of theembodiment, where the support arm of the motion mechanism is not shown;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front schematic view, illustrating the carrierunit of the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a side view, illustrating a variation of the motion mechanismand the carrier unit of the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a side view, illustrating another variation of the embodimentincluding at least one head mounted display;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary front view of another variation of theembodiment;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary front view of another variation of theembodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of another variation of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, an embodiment of a motion simulatingdevice according to the disclosure includes a positioning unit 2, atleast one motion mechanism 3, at least one carrier unit 32 that isconnected to the positioning unit 2 and that is adapted for carrying atleast one user 5, and a display unit 4 for displaying image informationto be viewed by the at least one user 5. In this embodiment, the motionsimulating device includes a plurality of the motion mechanisms 3, and aplurality of the carrier units 32 connected respectively to the motionmechanisms 3 and adapted for carrying a plurality of the users 5. Sincethe structures of the motion mechanisms 3 are identical, and since thestructures of the carrier units 32 are identical, only one motionmechanism 3 and one carrier unit 32 will be described hereinafter forthe sake of brevity.

The positioning unit 2 may be a wall or a frame for the motion mechanism3 to be pivotally connected to, and may be adapted depending onpractical requirements relating to the location and use of the device.In this embodiment, the positioning unit 2 includes two parallel andspaced apart walls 20 (only one shown in FIG. 3).

The motion mechanism 3 includes a motion arm 31, a support arm 33, afirst driver 34 and a second driver 35.

The motion arm 31 has a first end portion 311 connected to one of thewalls 20 of the positioning unit 2 and pivotable relative to thepositioning unit 2 about a first axis 310, and a second end portion 313opposite to the first end portion 311. The carrier unit 32 is connectedto the second end portion 313 of the motion arm 31 and is pivotablerelative to the motion arm 31 about a second axis 312. In thisembodiment, the first and second axes 310, 312 are parallel to eachother and extend along a left-right direction of the users 5. The firstdriver 34 is disposed for driving the pivot action of the motion arm 31about the first axis 310 relative to the positioning unit 2. The seconddriver 35 is disposed for driving the pivot action of the carrier unit32 about the second axis relative to the motion arm 31. The support arm33 has two end portions that are respectively and pivotally connected tothe other one of the walls 20 of the positioning unit 2 and the carrierunit 32.

The carrier unit 32 includes a load platform 321 connected to the secondend portion 313 of the motion arm 31 of the motion mechanism 3, at leastone seat body 322 connected to the load platform 321, a linkage member323, and a third driver 324. In this embodiment, the carrier unit 32includes a plurality of the seat bodies 322 connected to the loadplatform 321 and adapted to be seated on by a plurality of the users 5,the linkage member 323 interconnects the seat bodies 322, and the thirddriver 324 is operable to move the linkage member 323 back and forthsuch that the seat bodies 322 tilts to the left and right thereof andrelative to the load platform 321. Each of the seat bodies 322 ispivotable about an axis which extends in a front-rear direction of theseat bodies 322 and which is substantially perpendicular to the firstand second axes 310, 312. In variations of the embodiment (see FIGS. 8and 9), the carrier unit 32 may include only one seat body 322 connectedto the load platform 321 and adapted to be seated on by one user 5, thelinkage member 323 is connected to the seat body 322.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the support arm 33 andthe motion arm 31 are respectively and pivotally connected to oppositeleft and right sides of the carrier unit 32. Specifically, the supportarm 33 and the motion arm 31 are connected to an upright portion 326 ofthe load platform 321. In an variation of the embodiment (see FIG. 6),the support arm 33 and the motion arm 31 may be instead connected to ajunction between the load platform 321 and the outermost seat bodies322, and the load platform 321 may include a front support stand 327 forthe users 5 to grab or lean against. In this embodiment, the seat bodies322 are for the users 5 to be seated thereon, but in other embodimentsmay allow the users 5 to stand thereon. Referring to FIG. 8, in thevariation of the embodiment where the carrier unit 32 includes only oneseat body 322 pivotally mounted to the load platform 321, the motion andsupport arms 31, 33 may be respectively connected to left and rightsides of the load platform 321, or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9,the support arm 33 may be omitted and the motion arm 31 may be connectedto a center of the load platform 321, with the walls 20 being replacedby a stand 21 for the motion arm 31 to be pivotally connected to.

Referring to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the display unit 4 is a largemonitor disposed in front of said seat bodies 322. In a variation of theembodiment, the display unit 4 may be a spherically curved display thatencompasses the field of view of the user 5 to provide a more immersivemotion simulating experience. The user 5 may be at the center of thesphere and be substantially equidistant from all points on the screen.Referring to FIG. 7, in another variation of this embodiment, thedisplay unit 4 includes at least one head-mounted display 41 adapted tobe worn by the at least one user 5. Usage of the head-mounted display 41in variations of the embodiment where the carrier unit 2 includes onlyone seat body 322 allows the motion simulating device to be compact andsuitable for single-person use.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the embodiment is operated as follows.First, the users 5 board the carrier unit 32 from a waiting area 6.After safety devices are used to secure the users 5 to the seat bodies322, the display unit 4 starts to display image information and themotion mechanism 3 moves the carrier unit 32 corresponding to said imageinformation. The first driver 34 drives the motion arm 31 to rotateabout the first axis 310 relative to the positioning unit 2, and thesecond driver 35 drives the carrier unit 32 to rotate about the secondaxis 312 relative to the motion arm 31, thereby allowing the users 5 toheave and pitch. The third driver 324 drives each of the seat bodies 322to rotate about the respective axis relative to the load platform 321,thereby allowing the users 5 to roll. In combination, the motionmechanism 3 and the carrier unit 32 allow the users 5 to experienceheave, pitch and roll, simulating motion corresponding to the imageinformation displayed by the display unit 4. In this embodiment, thefirst and second drivers 34, 35 are motor and transmission mechanismswhose structures are simpler than actuators used in the conventionalmotion simulating device, which lowers costs, and provide larger heavingand pitching effects.

Referring to FIG. 10, in another variation of this embodiment, thepositioning unit 2 includes at least one movable vehicle 22 mounted tothe motion arm 31 for moving the motion mechanism 3 between differentlocations. For example, the movable vehicle 22 may move the motionmechanism 3 between a boarding position and an experience position. Atthe boarding position, the carrier unit 32 is adjacent to the waitingarea 6 and the users 5 may board the carrier unit 32 from the waitingarea 6. At the experience position, the motion mechanism 3 may operateas described above. This separates a boarding area and an experiencearea to ensure that enough space is available for larger range motionsof the motion mechanism 3. In other embodiments, the movable vehicle 22may further move the carrier unit 32 to a plurality of the experiencepositions. For example, for a dinosaur themed motion simulator, themovable vehicle 22 may move the users 5 to a Triassic region, a Jurassicregion, a Cretaceous region, etc.

In sum, the motion mechanism 3 of the disclosure uses the first andsecond drivers 34, 35 to respectively drive the motion arm 31 and thecarrier unit 32 to a large range of circular motion with a simplifiedstructure that reduces cost.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details have been set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practicedwithout some of these specific details. It should also be appreciatedthat reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number andso forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristicmay be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be furtherappreciated that in the description, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in theunderstanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or morefeatures or specific details from one embodiment may be practicedtogether with one or more features or specific details from anotherembodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what isconsidered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that thisdisclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended tocover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of thebroadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications andequivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motion simulating device comprising: apositioning unit; at least one carrier unit connected to saidpositioning unit and adapted for carrying at least one user; at leastone motion mechanism including a motion arm that has a first end portionconnected to said positioning unit and pivotable relative to saidpositioning unit about a first axis, and a second end portion oppositeto said first end portion, said at least one carrier unit beingconnected to said second end portion of said motion arm and beingpivotable relative to said motion arm about a second axis, a firstdriver that is disposed for driving the pivot action of said motion armabout the first axis relative to said positioning unit, and a seconddriver that is disposed for driving the pivot action of said at leastone carrier unit about the second axis relative to said motion arm; anda display unit for displaying image information for viewing by the atleast one user.
 2. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 1,wherein said at least one carrier unit includes a load platformconnected to said second end portion of said motion arm of said at leastone motion mechanism, and a plurality of seat bodies connected to saidload platform and adapted to be seated on by a plurality of the users.3. The motion simulating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said atleast one carrier unit further includes a linkage member interconnectingsaid seat bodies, and a third driver operable to move said linkagemember back and forth such that said seat bodies tilt to the left andright thereof and relative to said load platform.
 4. The motionsimulating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said seatbodies is pivotable about a third axis which extends in a front-reardirection of said seat bodies and which is substantially perpendicularto the first and second axes.
 5. The motion simulating device as claimedin claim 4, wherein said at least one motion mechanism further includesa support arm having two end portions that are respectively andpivotally connected to said positioning unit and said at least onecarrier unit, said support arm and said motion arm being respectivelyand pivotally connected to opposite left and right sides of said atleast one carrier unit.
 6. The motion simulating device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said at least one carrier unit includes a load platformconnected to said second end portion of said motion arm of said at leastone motion mechanism, and a seat body connected to said load platformand adapted to be seated on by the at least one user.
 7. The motionsimulation device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said at least onecarrier unit further includes a linkage member connected to said seatbody, and a third driver operable to move said linkage member back andforth such that said seat body tilts to the left and right thereof andrelative to said load platform.
 8. The motion simulating device asclaimed in claim 7, wherein said seat body is pivotable about a thirdaxis which extends in a front-rear direction of said seat body and whichis substantially perpendicular to the first and second axis.
 9. Themotion simulating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said at leastone motion mechanism further includes a support arm having two endportions that are respectively and pivotally connected to saidpositioning unit and said at least one carrier unit, said support armand said motion arm being respectively and pivotally connected toopposite left and right sides of said at least one carrier unit.
 10. Themotion simulating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said positioningunit includes at least one movable vehicle mounted to said motion arm ofsaid at least one motion mechanism for moving said at least one motionmechanism between different locations.
 11. The motion simulating deviceas claimed in claim 1, wherein said display unit includes at least onehead-mounted display adapted to be worn by the at least one user.